The subject matter herein relates generally to electrical connector assemblies that are configured to receive module cards and communication systems having the same.
Communication systems, such as routers, servers, uninterruptible power supplies (UPSs), supercomputers, and other computing systems, may be complex systems that have a number of components interconnected to one another. In many communication systems, several components may be mounted to a single circuit board and may be interconnected to one another through the circuit board. For example, server systems include blade servers (or blades) in which each blade server has a number of different components, referred to as onboard devices, that are mounted to a common circuit board. The onboard devices may include a number of processors, storage devices, and electrical connectors. In many configurations, the blade server also includes one or more hard disk drives (HDDs) that are also mounted to the circuit board. The HDDs are primarily used to initiate (i.e., boot up) different processes in the onboard devices. After the HDDs boot up the onboard devices, the HDDs may have limited functionality.
Although the HDDs are effective in booting up the onboard devices, the HDDs require a substantial amount of space along the circuit board and may require a substantial amount of power for operation. It may be possible to replace the HDDs with other components that are capable of performing the same functions. These other components, however, may also present challenges with respect to space along the circuit board. In addition to HDDs, it may be desirable to replace other devices with devices that have a smaller form factor but provide a similar level of performance.
Accordingly, a need exists for a communication device that is capable of being mounted to a circuit board, but requires a smaller footprint along the circuit board than known devices, such as HDDs.